BajaNomad

La bocana camping

bjthiesson - 1-12-2017 at 11:53 PM

Has anyone camped at la bocana south of Ensenada lately?

bjthiesson - 1-13-2017 at 12:39 PM

How about any good boondocking locations between Ensenada and San quintin

jureal - 1-13-2017 at 02:56 PM

Never camp alone. Better to be in a campground if you need to do it.

gsbotanico - 1-13-2017 at 03:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bjthiesson  
Has anyone camped at la bocana south of Ensenada lately?

Haven't camped there, but spent some nights last year at one of the private homes to the north of the river mouth. It will be very quiet this time of the year. It's not that busy even on weekends in the summer.

There are cabins to rent and a space to camp right where the road turns north. You can buy supplies at the store in Santo Tomás south of the turnoff from the main highway. Otherwise there is not much there. Last year a small store opened up on the south side of the arroyo, maybe a mile or less east of the ocean. You can walk there. You can drive there if you take the left turn to cross the arroyo where it says Punta China. The crossing could be iffy if there is water running in the arroyo. There's a place on the south side where people camp.

StuckSucks - 1-13-2017 at 03:58 PM

We've camped a bunch of times at (I think it's called) Long Beach, just north of Punta Cabras. You can head to the coast from Santo Tomas or Eréndira. Decent surfing here too.

David K - 1-13-2017 at 04:14 PM



norte - 1-13-2017 at 04:28 PM

Did someone not know where La Bocana, Baja California was? Was someone confused?

DanO - 1-13-2017 at 05:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by gsbotanico  
Quote: Originally posted by bjthiesson  
Has anyone camped at la bocana south of Ensenada lately?

Haven't camped there, but spent some nights last year at one of the private homes to the north of the river mouth. It will be very quiet this time of the year. It's not that busy even on weekends in the summer.

There are cabins to rent and a space to camp right where the road turns north. You can buy supplies at the store in Santo Tomás south of the turnoff from the main highway. Otherwise there is not much there. Last year a small store opened up on the south side of the arroyo, maybe a mile or less east of the ocean. You can walk there. You can drive there if you take the left turn to cross the arroyo where it says Punta China. The crossing could be iffy if there is water running in the arroyo. There's a place on the south side where people camp.


I was there over New Year's. Gsbotanico is right, it will be very quiet this time of year. There is primitive camping on the grass next to the lagoon at the rivermouth, you may be charged a small fee. People also sometimes camp on the beach, the bluff overlooking the beach, or in a small clearing on the other side of the river. There are no services, but firewood and homemade flour tortillas are sometimes available for purchase from the folks (Juan and Delia) who live across the road from the lagoon. In addition to the stores noted by Gsbotanico, there are also a couple of small grocery stores and a purified water store in Ejido Ajusco, where the road to La Bocana leaves the highway.

When I was down there during the worst of the rains at the end of December, there were a number of rockslides and mudholes but the road was passable. For most of the length of the road there is usually a grader out there after big rains to make sure that the road is open for the trucks from the big farms in the valley and the cement company that operates the Punta China quarry. The last part after the Punta China turnoff, however, can be a challenge for a few days after a big rain event because the grader doesn't usually go out that far. We made it through that short stretch several times without a problem (other than half an inch of thick mud coating 2/3 of the truck -- put your windows up!), but if you are heading down after a big rain, it wouldn't be a bad idea to pack a shovel, some planks and a tow rope.

wilderone - 1-14-2017 at 06:30 PM

Not boondocking but a great night can be spent at the campground set up at Cielito Lindo motel/restaurant. It was about $7.50 for a tent site for me last year. There are BBQs, table. It's right on the beach, and options include restaurant meals, live music, and there are showers. turn W at the Los Pinos compound/gas station outside of San Quintin and go all the way to the end.

LukeJobbins - 1-14-2017 at 08:49 PM

Free camping south of la bocana? Anywhere with a little piece of ground available. The road along the beach has hundreds of perfect spots. Look on google earth and pick an open spot. Erendira is the only spot I've heard of any possible trouble even though i haven't seen any.

DanO - 1-15-2017 at 02:27 AM

Quote: Originally posted by jureal  
Never camp alone. Better to be in a campground if you need to do it.

Huh? Some people like.to camp alone. Amiright?
Anyway, this isn't an insurance policy, but I haven't heard about any issues with campers at La Bocana in many years (Semana Santa used to get a little bit rowdy but it's been quiet for a long time), and I'm in a position to know. But if you haven't been there, like you, I guess you're free to express your opinion in any way you see fit. Good for you. Help keep the visitors out and leave the locals without a couple of bucks they could really use, and scare the campers away from a peaceful and beautiful experience they might really enjoy. Keeps it quiet for those of us who have enjoyed it for years.

bajaandy - 1-15-2017 at 04:28 PM

Years and years ago we used to camp south of the rivermouth on the bluffs of Punta Clara. A dude would come and collect a few bucks and we'd have a good weekend to ourselves. The only thing that sketched us out was watching a big tanker truck back up to the bluff after dark one night and dump "something" into the ocean. We opted not to surf the next day.